Kansas soccer takes down Kansas State 4-1 in Sunflower Showdown

By Daniel Schmidt, Special to the Journal-World Oct 2, 2025

Kansas freshman forward Becca Smith (center) celebrates her goal with teammates during the matchup against Kansas State on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, in Lawrence.

Kansas soccer collected its eighth win of the season with a 4-1 victory over the Kansas State Wildcats on Thursday night. The win moved the Jayhawks to 8-2-2 on the season and brought them to 2-2 in Big 12 play.

“We haven’t come out of halftime particularly well these last few games,” Kansas head coach Nate Lie said after the game. “I really challenged the team, and they met that challenge. I thought we were in control for a huge portion of the second half. We were able to settle in, we were able to pin them in, started to get a little bit of rhythm of play, and again, players kept making positive contributions. It was a nice program effort.”

The leading scorer for the Jayhawks on Thursday was freshman forward Becca Smith, who found the back of the net twice for Kansas.

“Coming off of two losses, it was really important that we bring momentum back and just like respond as a team,” Smith said postgame. “So it was also the rivalry as well (that) was really important, so we just came out and gave it our all.”

Smith’s first tally came in the 41st minute when fellow freshman Jordan Rowan found Smith near the penalty arc and she drove it past Kansas State sophomore goalkeeper Maddie Sibbing, giving the Jayhawks a 2-1 lead. It was Smith’s first career collegiate goal.

Coming out of halftime, both teams played aggressively, but it was Kansas State that blinked first.

In the 67th minute, Kansas was able to break around the Wildcat defenders and junior forward Saige Wimes drove the ball from the right wing past a diving Sibbing and right to junior midfielder Livvy Moore, who swatted the ball into the net to extend the lead to 3-1.

Smith made her game more memorable in the 74th minute when she got the ball from sophomore midfielder Jillian Gregorski and heel-tapped it into the back of the net for her second goal of the night.

Kansas State’s lone goal came in the seventh minute when senior forward Andra Mohler was able to sneak one past Jayhawks goalkeeper Sophie Dawe.

The Jayhawks played Thursday’s game without their leading scorer, senior forward Lexi Watts, who was injured during training this week. Lie declined to go into specifics after the game, but said he believes she’ll be fine for the long term.

“She said she was willing to give it a go, (but) I’d rather not put a player in that situation,” Lie said.

It resulted in the first starting-lineup change of the season for KU, which had opened with the same 11 players in each of its first 11 matches. Freshman Lydia Viets started in Watts’ place.

The win for Kansas was its third straight over the Wildcats, dating back to 2023. The Jayhawks now have a commanding lead over the all-time series with a 7-2-2 record against Kansas State.

The Jayhawks will hit the road this weekend and head to Lubbock, Texas, to take on the No. 18-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders. The match is set for Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. Central time.

The Kansas soccer team celebrates its 4-1 win over Kansas State with the crowd at Rock Chalk Park on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025.

Kansas junior Saige Wimes celebrates with junior Olivia Page after adding a point against Kansas State on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, in Lawrence.

Kansas fans pack the Rock Chalk Park stands to cheer on the Jayhawks in their matchup against Kansas State on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025.

Kansas freshman forward Becca Smith (center) celebrates her goal with teammates during the matchup against Kansas State on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, in Lawrence.

Kansas freshman forward Becca Smith kicks the ball past Kansas State’s Anna Pagano, scoring the Jayhawks’ second goal of the game on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, in Lawrence.

Kansas freshman forward Jordan Rowan maneuevers the ball around Kansas State’s Reece Walrod during the first half of the Sunflower Showdown on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, in Lawrence.

Kansas freshman forward Jordan Rowan dribbles the ball during the first half of the matchup against Kansas State on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, in Lawrence.

Sophomore midfielder Jillian Gregorski scores for Kansas with a penalty kick, tying the game at 1-1 against Kansas State on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, in Lawrence.

Sophomore midfielder Jillian Gregorski scores for Kansas with a penalty kick, tying the game at 1-1 against Kansas State on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, in Lawrence.

Kansas junior forward Jocelyn Herrema looks for a teammate to pass the ball to during the matchup against Kansas State on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, in Lawrence.

Kansas junior defender Caroline Castans catches up to the ball to keep it in bounds during the matchup against Kansas State on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, in Lawrence.